You'll Be in my Heart
by Anonymous-cat
Summary: Two babies are born one human, one Andalite, in very different environments. Then the Andalite ship crashes...
1. A time to be born, a time to die

A/N- My first Animorphs fic. Read and Review please, I would like to know what you think.

Disclaimer- I don't own the Andalites, they were created by K.A. So were the Yeerks. But most of the characters, and the entire plot, came from my own imagination. Enjoy!

Jessica opened her eyes and groaned at the pain. For three and a half hours she had pushed and strained, and she was finally finished. She looked around wearily for the results of her effort, and he was laid in her arms. The baby boy she and her husband had named Zachary. 

She smiled at him, and loved him instantly. She turned to look at her husband, who also smiled and squeezed her hand in excitement. Their baby had finally been born.

                                                *            *            *

Far out in the reaches of space, an Andalite scout ship roamed. The ship was on autopilot, however, for the two Andalites inside were preoccupied with something much more important.

            Kylaron-Semityr-Dyron guided his wife to the supply room in the back of the ship. Aleera-Treminar-Dantil kneeled in position, wincing with the pain. Kylaron watched, excited, as the moment was finally here. As he waited for the baby, he thought again how strange it was that their baby should arrive in the middle of a scouting expedition. 

            He and his wife had been assigned to scout out planets in this sector of space, and look for signs of Yeerk activity. It was a small mission, and nothing was expected to be found in this region, still he and his wife had taken the job. And only three months after they had set out from the home world, they realized that Aleera was pregnant. 

            Of course they had called their relatives to inform them, but it had been too late to turn back. So they had continued the mission. And now, the baby was finally coming.

            Kylaron reached out for the small head, the stalk-eyes still shut. Then the arms and torso came, and at last all four legs and hooves. The tail was there too, but without a blade. It would not grow in for a while.

            Aleera gave herself a small injection to help with the pain, then reached over and wiped her baby off. In a few moments, he was reaching out to take his first step. The new parents watched proudly.

*            *            *

A few days later, the scout ship was orbiting a small, water filled planet the charts identified as Earth. Kylaron walked back to check on Aleera and the young one. He smiled at her, and they embraced. Suddenly, an alarm interrupted them. The parents rushed to the front of the ship and saw the autopilot failing. They quickly tried to take the controls, but no mater how they steered the ship continued its downward plunge. The lakes and forests of the planet drew closer and closer. Kylaron desperately tried to right the ship, but it was no use. The Andalites clutched each other as the ship connected with the ground…

*            *            *

Jessica stood on the porch of her cabin, her heart breaking. Only a day after he had been born, little Zachary had died. Heart failure, the nurses said. He was born too soon.

            Mark seemed to be coping, but Jessica was barely getting by. In the little time she had known her baby, she had loved him, and now he was gone. His room, filled with baby supplies, was empty and unused.

            Jessica stared out into the sunset, and tried not to cry. She had spent too much time doing that during the past week. As she watched the sun sink, she saw an object that looked like a plane fall from the sky. It came closer, and closer, and dropped into the woods a few miles from the house. Seconds after the supposed impact, a sound wave shook the air. Mark came out, startled by the sound.

            "What was that? It sounded like a sonic boom."

            "I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Jessica replied. Something in her heart told her to investigate, told her it was important. Without looking back, she started for the woods.

            "Jess, wait!" Mark cried from behind.

            But Jessica headed on.

So what do you think? Review, please?


	2. New beginings

A/N- Thanks to everyone who reviewed-MimiChica, Chessrook44, Luthien eowyn, Asmodeus1389, Sharina S., AngelMorph, I-love-stories, and Myst4. To answer your questions-

Luthien Eowyn- The story takes place about 14-15 years before Animorphs.

AngelMorph- See above for time. I just read Animorphs over the summer and found fanfiction.net after that. So I guess I haven't moved on yet…

*          *            *

Jess ran through the woods, her heart pounding. She was sure it had been a plane, or something else that crashed…but what? She didn't let herself think about that. If there were survivors, she had to try and help.

After about fifteen minutes, she slowed her run. She was getting tired, should've taken her bike. She walked into the clearing ahead of her, and gasped.

It was definitely a vehicle for flight, but she had never seen a plane, or for that matter a space ship, that looked like this before. The whole front end, what she assumed to be the cockpit, was twisted and burned. If anyone had been flying the ship, they were certainly dead by now. But maybe there had been passengers.

Jess heard a wheezing sound, unlike any sound she had ever heard before. She walked around to the back of the plane, and it got louder. Someone…or something… was back there. She tried to find a door, but couldn't see one anywhere. She then tried to pry off some of the hull, but that did no good either. But she wouldn't give up.

Walking around to the other side of the ship, she saw a gaping hole torn in the hull by a bolder. She made her way through, into the cockpit. Inside, she turned away hurriedly. Whoever had been flying the ship was now reduced to ashes. Finding a door at the back of the cockpit, she placed her hand on it looking for a doorknob, and it opened. Inside was a mess, things she didn't recognize were strewn all over the floor. But that wasn't what caught her attention.

There was a creature, standing in the middle of the room, and it was definitely doing the wheezing. It looked like a centaur, except it was covered in blue fur. The almost-human half of it had two stalks on top of its head, with eyes attatched. It had two human looking eyes in the normal place, but its nose seemed to consist of slits. And it had no mouth. The horse-half of it looked almost normal, except of the fact that it was blue. And the tail wasn't like a horse's tail, it was all in one piece and looked very flexible. It was also obvious that it was a baby, and probably crying for its mother.

Jess reached out her hand to the alien, and murmered soft words, hoping to comfort it. At first the baby looked confused, but then seemed not to care and wobbled toward her on four legs. It placed its tiny hand with too many fingers into hers, and she drew it to her in a hug. "Its okay," she said, 'I've got you." 

Jess led the baby through the cockpit and out into the air. It seemed happier then, but still confused. Just then, Mark hiked up, and the baby shied away. "Jess, I've been looking all over for you! The van's just up there…" Then he stopped and noticed the alien, which he had missed in concern for his wife. "What's that?" he asked, backing away slowly.

"It's okay, Mark. He's a baby, and he's all alone. His parents must have died in the crash." Jess said, looking down at the alien.

"Jess…" Mark said, but then he noticed the look in his wife's eyes. Already she had become attached to this baby alien. He sighed. "Alright, I'll be right back." He hiked up to the van and came back with a towel. Picking the baby up, he supported it as if it was a colt. "Come on, let's go home."

So husband and wife went back to their cottage in the mountains, with a baby alien in tow.


	3. Problems arise

A/N- Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I know I haven't been too faithful in updating, but here goes part three.

*          *          *

            The ride home was bumpy, and Jess continued to look back over her shoulder to see how the baby was doing. She realized that she couldn't keep calling him 'the baby' or 'the alien'. She had to think of a name, but what kind of name do you give to an alien child?

            The van pulled up to the cabin and stopped. Mark looked over at Jess and asked, "Are you sure about this?" Jess nodded, and opened the van door to let the baby out. She took his hand again and led him without thinking to the room they had prepared for their own child- the one that was empty and unused.

            The child wandered around in the strange new room picking up objects and then dropping them for new ones. He suddenly seemed to be very tired, and wobbled toward Jess again. He fell asleep in her lap on the floor.

            Jess looked at the short, hard-covered books they had bought for the baby's arrival, thinking he would like reading as much as they did. One of the titles caught her eye- Tarzan. A smile played on her lips as she thought about the similarities between her life and the book. And then she knew what name to give the new baby- Zantar.

*          *          *

            Zantar slept soundly throughout the night. When Jess had to get up and go to bed herself, she thought to bring the beanbag inside and laid him on it. He didn't wake up during the night, but in the morning Jess awoke to tiny hands tugging on her own, and a wheezing sound.

            Jess wasn't sure what was wrong until she realized that Zantar hadn't eaten since yesterday evening. Come to think of it, what did his race eat? Did they even eat? Zantar didn't appear to have a mouth anywhere. And what if the food on earth was poisonous to him? A bundle of worries dropped on her heart.

            And there was still the baby, tugging on her hand, begging to be fed. "Okay, okay, I'm up," Jess said, trying to sound normal although she was churning inside. She led Zantar to the kitchen and opened up the fridge, trying to think of what to feed the baby. She took out some applesauce and put it in a bowl for him, but Zantar made no attempt to eat it. He just looked at it with his four eyes and wheezed louder.

            After about half an hour of trying to feed the baby, Jess had almost given up on finding something for him to eat. She was almost crying herself now. Her own child had died, and now it seemed that she had rescued this baby only to watch him starve. She led him outside, hoping that maybe she would find the solution out there. And it seemed she was right. As Zantar walked over the lawn, he stopped wheezing and swished his tail. He seemed to grow more and more satisfied by walking on the grass, until Jess realized that he must have been eating. Probably he was eating through his hooves, although that seemed impossible. Then he walked over to a bucket of rainwater and stuck a foot in it. Jess wept with relief; the biggest barrier, it seemed, had been crossed. She now knew what Zantar ate and how he managed it. But what other problems like this would occur in the future?

*          *          *

A/N- Okay, so I guess I'm not the most creative with names. The more observant of you might notice that the name Zantar is just the two syllables of Tarzan switched around. This was the only thing I came up with while I was writing it, and it stuck. Just as a disclaimer sort of thing though- no I don't own the title You'll be in My Heart- this was one of the songs from Tarzan, which gave me the idea for the fic. So I'm really uncreative, and you'll just have to live with it. Now go review.


	4. We need a babysitter

A/N- Thanks to everyone who reviewed! See, I'm trying to update sooner. Yes, Luthien, people HAVE been slow at updating lately. *hint, hint*. Anyway, fourth chappy coming up!

*          *          *

            The first barrier in caring for Zantar had been crossed; Jess now knew how to feed him. Or rather, let him feed himself. But soon another problem arose; how to teach him to do his business. After feeding, he simply walked around and then went. This planted a new worry in Jess' mind; they couldn't have him simply go when he was in the house. She finally solved the problem by cutting a hole in a diaper, and uh, slipping it on.

            The rest of the day passed uneventfully, Zantar wandered through the house or asked to go outside by tugging on Jess' sleeve. Jess followed him constantly, but he seemed not to get into any trouble. She finally managed to calm her nerves, partly at least.

*          *          *

            For the first few weeks of caring for Zantar, Jess managed to stay home from work to care for him. But she knew she would have to go to work soon. Since her baby had died they would be expecting her back sooner, although they allowed her a few weeks to recover. Mark also went to work every weekday, so if Jess went to work there would be no one home to take care of Zantar. Jess realized they would have to find a babysitter, someone they could trust not to expose their 'adopted' child to the public. But where could they find such a person?

            Then she remembered a co-worker of hers who had an 18 year-old daughter. She had recently adopted another child, who was a newborn. The 18 year-old, Samantha, volunteered at wildlife centers, although she hadn't been able to find a job yet. Zantar wasn't an animal, but maybe someone who loved animals would be more accepting of an alien. Jess could only hope.

            Jess contacted Samantha and asked her if she would come for a visit. Sam agreed, and soon was sitting in the living-room. Mark was watching Zantar in the bedroom, while Jess talked to Sam.

"So, I hear you are interested in working with animals," Jess said.

"Yes, I'm very interested in wildlife. But why did you ask me over?" Sam inquired.

Jess sighed. "I need a babysitter."

Sam looked uncomfortable. "But Mrs…."

"Call me Jess," Jess intereupted.

"Jess, I had heard, I mean, I thought your baby had passed on."

"Yes. He did. But I've adopted another. A very special baby who needs very special care. And I need someone I can trust to give him that care while I'm at work."

"Jess, I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to something like this."

"I would pay you, of course. As much as I can afford. I need help, Sam."

"I'll do my best. If you really need help, I'll do what I can. May I see the child now?"

Jess got up and led Sam into the bedroom. When she saw Zantar, she gasped. And fell to her knees. After she seemed to have taken it in, Jess spoke up. 'His name is Zantar. I can't stay home to take care of him any longer, and I can't show him to the public. Think what they would do to him!"

Sam responded, in amazement, "He's very cute. Actually he's beautiful. Where did you find him?"

Jess told her how she found him and how she had taken care of him for the past month. She ended with, "And now I need to go back to work, or someone will suspect something. Will you help me?"

Sam looked straight into Jess' eyes and said, "It would be an honor to care for such a child. Yes, Jess, I will help you. I accept the job. When do I begin?"


	5. Samantha's story

A/N- Thanks once again for reviewing. For all the people who wonder why Sam can accept an alien so quickly, this chapter should satisfy you. To answer some other questions-

DH- I didn't even think of the ship being hot- I got caught up in writing. Thanks for mentioning it; maybe I'll change it someday. And the van was actually supposed to be  theirs, Mark drove the van out to find his wife because he thought she'd be tired after running all the way through the woods. She's too impulsive. Jess figured that Zantar must be able to eat somehow, so she gave him some options and hoped he'd eat naturally. This story is supposed to be taking place about 14 to 15 years before Animorphs so I think morphing technology would be in it's early stages right now- it was supposed to be a new invention around the time of Animorphs. Hopefully your other questions will be answered as the story progresses- you wrote a lot!

*          *            *

Jess was shocked. Sam had just looked at Zantar and taken him in stride- how could anyone act this way? It had taken Jess awhile to convince herself she wasn't dreaming- the baby alien was still there. But Sam had just said, "When do I begin?"

"I think we should go back into the living-room. I need to talk to you." Jess managed to stammer out.

Sam looked suddenly worried, as if she realized she had said something she shouldn't have. "Oh, uh, I, uh, I mean…"

"In the living-room." Jess stated firmly.

Once they were situated again, Jess said, "Your reaction to an alien was… unusual. Not many people can take in such a new concept so quickly. This concerns me. Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Sam looked down at the couch and said, "Jess, I'm not sure I can tell you. I would need to talk to my mother first- her guidance is very important to me. I hope you weren't disturbed by me. But I promise you I don't have bad intentions, and I will not reveal Zantar to the media. I can't tell you anymore without talking to my mom."

Jess stared intently at Sam, as if by staring she could see all of the girl's secrets. "Sam, I'm not sure I can trust you to baby-sit until I know what you are keeping from me."

"I'll come right back tomorrow. But please- don't judge me until you've heard my story. If it turns out I can't tell you, then you may do what you wish. But not until then. Please."

*          *            *

            The next day, Jess was playing with Zantar in the bedroom. It was a game in which she held up her hand and moved it from side to side, up and down, and Zantar would try to hit her palm with his tail. Zantar had started the game a few days ago, and he always seemed to want to play it. As I was saying, they were playing this game that day when Jess heard the doorbell ring. 

            "Shhhh," she whispered to Zantar, even though she wasn't sure if he understood her.

            Jess got up, closed the bedroom door quietly, and answered the front door. Outside stood Sam and her mother, Carmen. 

Sam smiled shyly at Jess, and said, "I have received permission from my mother to tell our story. But Mother would like to go into the bedroom and see the Andalite while we talk."

"Andalite?" Jess asked, confused.

"Yes, that is his races name," spoke up Carmen. "Samantha will explain. I would so like to see this Zantar, though."

"Well, um sure. Go right ahead," Jess said, at a loss for words. She showed her coworker to the bedroom, wondering all the while how this seemingly ordinary woman she used to see every day could know about aliens.

Jess and Sam went back to the living room and sat down again. "Sam, I think you have a lot of explaining to do. How can you know about aliens, or Andalites, or whatever they are called? You _are_ human, aren't you?"

"Yes," Samantha said. "And no. The story is very complicated. 

"I was born a human, raised as a human. But my parents weren't humans. My mother is from another sector of space. She was- is- a Kelbrid."

"You just lost me," Jess admitted. "What is a Kelbrid?" 

"We're a different type of alien from Zantar's kind. We are most like humans, but we have some feline traits. If you promise not to tell, I can show you." With that, Sam began to change.

It was Sam's eyes that changed the most. They turned green and slitted, like a cat's eyes. Her hair became thicker, and more brown and red streaks appeared in the blond. Her ears became pointed and covered in fur. Her arms and legs were covered with blondish fuzz. 

As Jess continued to stare at Sam, she changed back into the girl she had previously been. "Now do you believe me?" she asked. Jess managed to stammer out an answer that she later forgot. She just continued staring until everything grew blurry and she realized she was being rude.

'Oh, um I, uh, I'm sorry…" Jess stammered, trying to apologize for staring and looked away. "I guess I'm not used to this kind of thing yet, even though I'm raising an alien myself."

Sam smiled. "Don't worry, Jess. Things will get easier. I expect you are wondering how we ended up on earth?"

Jess nodded mutely, and Sam continued, "Alright then, here comes the real story…"

*          *            *

As I said, my mother is a Kelbrid. She use to live in an entirely different sector of space from the Andalites, but she knew about them. Everyone did. The Kelbrid knew that the Andalites were becoming more and more advanced technologically. They also knew that soon the Andalites would try and explore space more thoroughly. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but the Kelbrid didn't want the Andalites to copy their more advanced technology. They wanted Andalites to think for themselves. So they made threats and pretended to be fierce, and signed a treaty with the Andalites to keep out of Kelbrid space. In return, the Kelbrid promised never to explore Andalite space. But this was a promise they didn't keep.

            The Kelbrid were interested in how the Andalites were progressing. They wished to know more about their customs, life, and technology. So they sent spies into Andalite space. Not to copy technology, not to start a war, but to observe. They had a certain technology, a morphing technology, which allowed them to change their forms into that of another. The spies changed their forms to Andalite. My mother was one of them.

            For the first few years, my mother did nothing but observe and send reports back to the leaders. But then she did something unheard of. She fell in love with an Andalite. She fell in love with my father, and he loved her back. Against the law, mother showed him what and who she really was. They were married, and mother stopped sending reports back to the leaders. She wanted to live as an Andalite. 

            But the leaders grew suspicious, and sent other spies to look for her. When they found her, they were furious. This was one of the most serious offenses under Kelbrid law. However, it was illegal to kill my mother. No Kelbrid can ever kill another. So they killed my father instead, and exiled my mother. 

*          *            *

A/N- Okay, how's that for a plot twister? There's Sam's story, clean cut. For all of you who are lost on the morphing technology part, I'll explain here-

The Kelbrid are obviously more advanced than the Andalites, so they invented morphing technology first. The technology is transferred to a person through an injection in their bloodstream, and is passed on to their children. The Kelbrid morphing technology has no time limit, so there are no nothlits. Also, you can morph strait from one form to another without passing through your natural body, and you can also acquire DNA while in a morph. 

I couldn't figure out how to fit this into the story, though, so if anyone has any idea of how to do that I would probably  consider re-writing the chapter. Whew! I'm off to take a break.


	6. Epilouge

A/N- I stopped writing this story because I wasn't quite sure where to go from there- I knew what I wanted to say but not how to say it. So I'm giving this another shot, because of DH's protests. Kind of a wrap up, since I left you hanging there at the end. I have an idea for a sequel, but I'm not sure if I'll have the discipline to write it out. And by the way, DH, Zantar can't morph. Morphing technology wasn't invented back then, or if it was Zantar hasn't touched an escafil device. Just to clear that up. 

This epilogue of sorts happens about twelve years later, and for a change its in first person.

*          *            *

            My name is Zantar. No, I'm not from earth, although sometimes I wish I were. If I were, then maybe my foster mother wouldn't be so paranoid. She's always telling me to be careful, and to make sure I stay away from other humans. I guess this is sounding pretty strange to you, so I better explain.

            I'm an Andalite, although I've never seen one besides myself. That I remember. I look sort of like a centaur in fairy tales, with a human torso and a horse's legs. Except for the small fact that I'm blue, have extra eyes, and no mouth. And oh yeah, I've got a wicked tail with a blade at the end. Mom was pretty freaked out when it started growing, but Sam soon calmed her down.

Who's Sam? She used to be my baby-sitter, until I grew old enough to take care of myself. After that, she got a much better job. She owns a ranch, which is actually pretty ironic, when you think about it. It's one of the only places I've ever been on earth besides my house and the woods. 

I bet you're wondering why Sam wasn't freaked out when she found out that her new baby-sitting job was an alien. Well, she and her mom are aliens themselves. They're Kelbrid, or at least Sam's mom is. Sam is a sort of half-breed, because her father was an Andalite like me. Long story there. Sam can go places I can't because she and her mom have the ability to _morph. _They can make their bodies change to look like humans.

Sam also has an adopted sister. Her name is Sabrina, and she's about my age. We've been friends ever since I can remember; and she would never give me up to the government like mom is so afraid someone will. Bri and I like to go up to Sam's ranch and ride. Sam will drive by with the horse trailer, and we'll just go up there and spend the whole day riding. Sometimes Bri will rent a horse and we race, but most of the time she just rides me. I don't mind; it's actually kind of fun. But we don't get to do this often, which is a disappointment. 

Basically Sam's family and my parents are the only people I've ever talked to. Well, it's not really talking; it's more like telepathy, since I don't have a mouth. I eat through my hooves, although I don't quite understand how it works. Sam doesn't seem to be able to explain.

Lately I've been feeling really restless. I can't go anywhere, because if people saw me, they'd either run away screaming or they'd dissect me. I can't disguise myself like Sam because I never took the injection that gives you that ability, and I can't go back home to the Andalite world because I don't have a ship. The one my parents and I came here in crashed, and only I survived. Sam and her mom also destroyed their ship for safety, so that humans wouldn't discover it.

But whenever I get myself down like this, Bri will come over and scold me for it. She says I'm lucky to be alive, and why would I want to be dead if it meant I couldn't see her anymore. She's a nice girl, and she makes me laugh. But sometimes I just look up at the stars and wonder where I really came from, and what I'm going to do with my life. And then I think_, Hey, maybe someday more Andalites will come to earth. And then I can go back home._ And sometimes, just sometimes, I feel a spark of hope.

*          *            *

A/N- Done, finally. What do you think? Too abrupt of an ending? Did I wait too long to finish it? Do you want to know if Zantar ever gets to go home? Then you can review, and tell me all about it there.

By the way, did you know that Mark Twain stopped writing Huckleberry Finn for 16 years because he didn't know where to take the story? That's kind of how I felt trying to finish this one. See ya!


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